Killer instinct lethal 405

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Half-Cocked

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I just bought one because I couldn't resist. I'm not so sure about it though. I hear these things don't have much of a life.

What are you guys think? I paid 190 shipped.

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Discharging them after hunting into a bag is claimed to be very stressful on them.

I use the earlier model but this IMO is the way to go.



Nice gadget. I am going to have to really like this thing to keep it. If I do I'll pick one up.

Maybe I'll just buy bludgeon tips and keep it for smaller game. Although I have been told like my 30.06 it will kill any animal in NA.

The bow life does concern me. However fwiw Killer Instinct offers a lifetime warranty. And they have a design plant here in Michigan. Headquarters are in Minnesota I think? Bows are made in Japan though.

Not sure how effective or useful this is. I have been reading about game jumping the string. That is not good. Even if these things are super accurate it does no good if the game spooks and changes the poi because the arrow is SO slow.
 
When you consider that a new high end crossbow can run a couple grand, a cheap bow is just that, a cheap bow.
There's a crossbow forum that you can look at for all your information. It's called Crossbow Nation.
 
Two thoughts here:

Under 25 yards they can’t jump the bow noise. The bolt is just
too fast. On longer shots they might be able to if they are looking at you when you shoot.

I use a discharge bag. In my opinion it is the only safe way to discharge your bow. Crossbows are inherently dangerous because they store so much energy. If OSHA applied to crossbows the whole darn thing would have a guard around it with a little hole for the bolt to come out.
Using the discharge bag is simply shooting a bolt into the bag from about 2 feet. It is just another shot for the bow. How can that be hard on the bow? I keep the bag in my truck and use the same arrow every time. I check the arrow carefully before each discharge. KISS and you will always be able to count to ten!
 
Read a lot of reviews. Looked many of them over. I ended up going with a Excalibur has recurve limbs. Most of lower end crossbow models are made in China or Korea. That equals lower cost. Not knocking that but that`s why their cheaper. Read instructions and keep your fingers off the rail. I know one fella that violated that and lost the tip of his thumb ,another friend was very lucky and substained only bad swelling and bruise. I always feel safer discharging into a discharge bag when done hunting even though Excalibur is designed to be let down. Stay safe and good luck!
 
Welp it's here and faster than my Savage mark 2.

I purchased my Savage Mark 2 on the 7th of October and I'm still waiting for a Nic's check from the FBI. Even though I currently own a 9 mm a 30 ought 6 a 22 pistol a 45 black powder pistol a 50 muzzle loader.

apparently the 22 long riffle that I'm going to be using for rabbits is extremely dangerous and requires the longer background check.

Totally makes sense to me. Even though I purchased all my guns within the last month or so so my name should be very familiar coming across their desk.

Just a little bitter about that.

The killer instinct lethal has arrived today.
As I mentioned it was 190 bucks shipped to my door.

Guess what I'm still not sure if I want it. Talk about an impulse buy. I tell you the outside of the packaging looks very pretty I'm a little hesitant to break the seal even though Cabela's has an excellent return policy.

At the very minimum I will be purchasing bolts and not using the original bolts that came with it. That way if I break a bolt I don't have to say oh shoot I might as well keep it.

I'm pretty sure this thing will put the smack and wallup on anything small. I'm probably going to go with one of those bludgeon tips. If I do decide to keep this one I'll probably hang on to it for smaller game. Eventually I might graduated to a deer kill.

Shopping list...Let's see broad heads, bolts, bludgeon tips, string wax etc. looks like another rabbit hole of money. Oh and a target too.

Anyway I included pics of the very shiny box that's begging me to open it.

I know it's made in Taiwan but from what I hear they make decent crossbows. Well at least some of the companies there do. Plus killer instinct has a limited lifetime warranty I would not consider purchasing crossbow without a lifetime warranty.

They seem to have be prone to limbs cracking after a certain amount of shots. that ain't many shots we're talking anywhere from 500 to 1500 maybe more. That's what I didn't know when I ordered this thing.

Being a firearms enthusiast this is kinda of a step back. I mean I own a slingshot but that doesn't get much play. But I figure it's got a trigger on it so close enough.

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They seem to have be prone to limbs cracking after a certain amount of shots. that ain't many shots we're talking anywhere from 500 to 1500 maybe more. That's what I didn't know when I ordered this thing........

THAT.......... is why so many people use the defuser instead of shooting into a bag when they're through hunting for the day.
 
THAT.......... is why so many people use the defuser instead of shooting into a bag when they're through hunting for the day.

I get conflicting information. Typical of internet searching these days. Some say limbs last only 1000 shots some say xbows last 10 years with care.

Maybe I'm confusing the string life with the life of the limbs. If they do last 10 years then hey they're pretty durable.

Now if the string needs to be replaced every 1,000 and 1,500 shots I can definitely see the advantages of having a decocker. Especially on a more expensive bow the cost $2,000. Thats a no-brainer.

The killer instinct company does offer a free 3-year inspection. At which time I'm sure free is not free and they will convince you to change the strings.

Interesting question which lasts longer a crossbow or a firearm...

Local DNR has a walkthrough crossbow target range that sounds pretty cool. I might have to crack open the box and give it a chance. Especially if the limbs do last quite a bit of time.

For the life of me I can't understand why some of them are so darn expensive. This is pretty much an entry level xBow that I picked up for cheap. MSRP was $299 at the website. Available almost everywhere for $249.
 
There are guys I know that bought inexpensive crossbows, they work fine and are accurate. Guys buy $2K crossbows that work fine and are accurate. Another poster was right, they store a lot of energy. Every time one is discharged, all that limb energy is instantly released. So shooting into a discharge bag is instantly releasing all that stored up energy. On the other hand, the defuser works totally different and the instant release of energy doesn't happen and is slowly eliminated.

My BIL bought an Excalibur crossbow and about the 10th time he shot it, one of the limbs broke. Had that resolved and broke a second limb and again got it resolved.
My neighbor has an inexpensive Barnett crossbow. I have a fairly expensive Mission. His cheap Barnett is just as accurate as my Mission.
HOWEVER............. there is a huge difference in overall quality.
 
You most likely will not be very impressed with the glass. A lot of guys replace the scope right off the bat. My crossbow is a back up for my bow when i have neck problems. A friend of mine bought a walmart crossbow, replaced the glass, bought new bolts sighted it in and killed a slammer 8pt. I was with him and had to help drag the beast out! Have fun with it, you might enjoy it.
 
Well I couldn't resist. The package was calling my name.

a couple of observations first of all kudos to the person who said you get what you pay for in regards to crossbows.

There are only three screws that hold the thing together. One of them went in just find the other one needed some assistance to go in I checked to make sure that I wasn't cross threading and I wasn't. that being said I needed a wrench to tighten down on it almost as though I was cutting my own threads.

The scope rings were included on the scope however when you place them on the picatinny rail it just doesn't fit so you have to loosen up one of the scope rings anyway no big deal.

The scope itself is okay I guess. then again I'm used to using cheap Scopes I have a $50 scope on my 30-06 and it's holding up just fine. Back to the crossbow scope it seems to have a decent eye relief. The image is fairly clear.

The handle on the forstock was loose and there are no included hex wrenches for that particular adjustment. no biggie I happen to have one of those handy and I tightened it down.

This thing is like 99% polymer. It has one of the things that I really dislike a plastic trigger. I think that may be pretty common with the crossbows the whole plastic frames with plastic triggers and plastic plastic everywhere.

With it being plastic this thing is heavy and awkward. coming from a firearm background it says heavy as a firearm but even more awkward to carry around. Welcome to the world of crossbows.

However when I shoulder the assembled the crossbow it fits like a glove. in my past experience when I have a rifle that fits like a glove generally I like it a lot.

Being that the scope is the thing that most people complain about and I find it reasonably fine I think I might even actually like this crossbow. Although only time will tell I haven't been to the range to shoot it.

the instructions were kind of ridiculous to you interpret so I look at a YouTube video that helped with assembly.

Some things that I should mention this did not include the illuminated variable zoom 3x9 scope that I've been hearing about. It had a fixed four-power scope no illumination rangefinder reticle. That was kind of disappointing as I had hoped for the illuminated scope.

To be honest I don't understand the pricing behind crossbows. I have seen firearms in this price range that were well put together with a whole lot less plastic. but it seems to be the nature of the beast they're all made out of plastic they're all very expensive they range in the low end of 190 for what I paid for this one up to $3,000.

This is where my reservation lies I don't quite understand why someone would pay this much money for a crossbow rather than a firearm but maybe there's something I'm missing. Maybe once I shoot it then I'll understand.

It's heavy, you're limited to about six rounds, it's hard to reload the arrows, and they are expensive at $4 a piece minimum, plus broadheads which add on to the cost. every five shots you need to lube the rail. Just to give you an idea of all the negatives behind crossbow ownership.

Here's some pics of the assembled crossbow and yes I think I put the quiver on backwards as I am not a lefty.

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